How Lego makes its bricks (photos)

Road Trip 2011: They may be the most popular toy on Earth, and watching them get produced in Lego's home town is a rare treat.

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Mini-figures with suit and tie

BILLUND, Denmark--If you're a Lego fan like me, visiting this little town in western Denmark is a little like making a religious pilgrimage.

That's obviously an overstatement, but this is the home of Lego, maybe the world's most famous toy, and as part of Road Trip 2011, I got a chance not only to visit the company's headquarters but also to see the production, processing, and packaging of the famous bricks.

The whole process is actually quite simple. Making the bricks involves injecting very hot plastic into a mold and pressing it. Cool it a bit, open the mold, and out drops Lego bricks.

This is from the second part of the process, when bricks and other elements--such as these soon-to-be mini-figures--are finished by adding any additional parts, like legs, arms, and heads, and having anything they need printed on, like a suit and tie.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

ABS plastic

All Lego bricks are made from the same ABS plastic. It comes to Lego from suppliers and is held in giant silos. Generally it is clear or red, and the color for specific bricks is added at the molding machine. This is a bin full of ABS plastic, with some additional colors mixed in.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Mold cross section

This is a cross-section of a Lego brick mold. First, very hot plastic is injected into the mold on the right side. It then spreads through little channels and is then pushed into the press area of the mold through very small slits. When cold water is then flushed through the mold, it cools down the plastic, and the mold opens, allowing the bricks to snap off and drop down onto a belt below.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Many molds

Currently, there are about 7,000 active molds being used at Lego. All told, it keeps about 9,000 around, with many stored on shelves like this one. The average mold is worth $72,000, with the most valuable coming in around $360,000.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Blue heads

Part of Lego's system is to be as efficient as possible. That means making bricks and other elements that can be used in different ways. These blue pieces can either be used as heads for mini-figures, or as decorations for other pieces.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Weighing

This display shows the weight of a small bag of Lego bricks known as a pre-pack. The weight must be between 94.9 grams and 95.7 grams. Coming in at 94.94 grams, this back passes muster. However, as the display shows, five bags came in too light, and one was too heavy. But 5,354 were in the target range.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Putting in bags by hand

Now in the packaging department, most of the bricks are in packs that are dropped into a package automatically. But some of the packs are too big to fit in when dropped that way and must be shaken and flattened manually in order to fit properly.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.

Making sure not too full

This machine presses down into each Star Wars set that passes through to make sure that the packs of Lego bricks inside isn't too high up. If it is too high, the box may not be able to be closed correctly.

Please visit the Road Trip 2011 page for all the coverage from CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman's travels through Europe.